Motown Musical Searches for Young Michael Jackson
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy has launched a nationwide video search for the Broadway-bound Motown: The Musical. Using YouTube, the legendary record producer is looking for performers to play multiple roles, including a pre-teen Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Gordy himself.
Producing powerhouses Kevin McCollum, chairman of Sony Music Entertainment, and CEO Doug Morris, along with Gordy, announced the casting strategy on Tuesday on the audition website.
“He has to be extremely talented, plus he has to give me the same chills that I got when I saw Michael Jackson in the first place,” said Gordy about whom he would choose for the MJ role.
He added that he was also looking for people that are smart and can be themselves in the role. “I’m not looking for imitators,” Gordy made clear.
Scheduled to premiere on Broadway in the spring of 2013, the show contains songs lifted from Motown’s legendary catalog, including music from Jackson, Wonder, Marvin Gaye and the Temptations, among others.
The show is written by Gordy, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and is backed by Sony. Jackson was only 10 when Gordy signed The Jackson 5 in 1968. Gordy went on to put together a legendary roster of African-American talent in building the seminal musical empire.
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(Photo: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)